…. the only way to revive citizen trust is to make the real-time transmission of results from BVAS to the IReV portal a mandatory, legal requirement
In a pointed critique of Nigeria’s legislative activities, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has accused the National Assembly (NASS) of “talking out of both sides of the mouth” regarding the country’s technological advancement.
Delivering his CBCN President’s Address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 First Plenary Meeting in Abuja on 22 February, 2026, the Archbishop drew a sharp contrast between the government’s aggressive drive to deploy the digital technology for tax collection, and its apparent foot-dragging on using same technology to guarantee electoral transparency.
Challenging the National Assembly to align its technological ambitions for revenue with its commitment to democratic integrity, Archbishop Ugorji pointed to the 2025 Tax Act, which took effect on 1 January, 2026, as a prime example of the government’s selective embrace of technology. While the Act mandates digital filing and record-keeping for all citizens to ensure fiscal compliance, the National Assembly has notably resisted similar mandatory digital safeguards for the nation’s “democratic currency”; the people’s mandate.
“The honourable members of the NASS should not allow themselves to be perceived as… expressing inconsistent and contradictory positions,” the prelate warned. “In passing a Bill that is a watered-down version of the people’s will and which creates room for the manipulation of electoral results, the NASS should recall that it had earlier passed the 2025 Tax Bill that demands digital filing.”
The Archbishop supported his “Double Standards” charge with an alarming data on Nigeria’s dwindling democratic legitimacy. He noted a steady, disastrous decline in voters’ participation over the last two decades: with only 23% of registered voters participating in the 2023 general election, the CBCN President warned that the “mandate of an ever-decreasing minority” calls into question the very legitimacy of the government. He argued that the only way to revive citizen trust is to make the real-time transmission of results from BVAS to the IReV portal a mandatory, legal requirement.
The Archbishop’s critique of the “Analogue” mindset extended to national security. He lamented that while gunmen “brazenly brandish” ransoms on social media, they are rarely caught through their digital footprints. He characterised the government’s current security approach as “reactive interventions;” or “administering medicine after death.” He specifically highlighted the Woro and Nuku Massacres, where over 200 Muslims were killed by extremists without any resistance from security forces.
Also touched on the illegal mining costing the nation over $9 billion loss annually, to the advantage of the criminal elements who channel the proceeds to procure weapons used in mass kidnappings. Questioning the rationale for reintegration of “repentant” terrorists, the CBCN head says it gives an impression of government complicity.
In anticipation of the 2027 election, Archbishop Ugorji made a clarion call for a new breed of leaders. He challenged Nigerians to elect “holy politicians” who view leadership as service to the Common Good rather than a mechanism for “stealing other people’s mandates.” “The world is watching,” the Archbishop concluded. “Above all, God is also watching.”
